Arguments against competency testing surface continually, and classic counter-arguments reoccur. Nevertheless, minimum competency testing and other accountability efforts have much public support. Those claiming that the tests are not relevant or do not have predictive validity, also say they are coachable and biased. Answers are given to these…

Standardized test scores (STS) should be used on a local level: (1) as one component of evaluation of a student, school, or district; (2) to draw as much interpretive meaning from a norm-referenced test (NRT) as their structure will support; (3) as a communication device with students, parents, the public, and professional staff; (4) to check…

Remarks made at several panel discussions are summarized in this narrative report. The discussion topics and speakers include: (1) public education and testing--Tom Tomlinson, Ann Kahn, Herb Mack, and Jean Nazzaro, with remarks by Patricia Albjerg Graham; (2) standards regarding testing--Walt Haney, Barbara Lerner, Ann Cook, Willo White, and Bob…

The practice of not sharing tests results with clients may soon be in conflict with the Ethical Standards for Psychologist (sic). Studies using self-validation of feedback information to study feedback parameters have shown that the form of feedback is less important than the content. To investigate direct feedback of test results by computer, the…

FOLLOWUP STUDIES WERE MADE ON 312 NEGRO CHILDREN, APPROXIMATELY ONE FIFTH OF A SAMPLE OF 1800 STUDENTS TESTED IN A PREVIOUS STUDY. THEY REPRESENTED A STRATIFIED RANDOM SAMPLE OF RURAL, URBAN, AND METROPOLITAN AREAS OF A SOUTHERN STATE. INSTRUMENTS USED FOR SCORING INCLUDED THE STANFORD-BINET, THE CALIFORNIA ACHIEVEMENT TEST, AND THE GOODENOUGH…

Behaviorally anchored rating scales (BARS), a new quantitative method of employee performance evaluation, is advocated for teacher evaluation. Development of a BARS consists generally of five steps: a representative sample of potential raters generates the scales; the group identifies the broad qualities to be evaluated; the group formulates…

The special case of the Piagetian model is discussed in relation to test theory. Problems connected with the construction and analysis of a test based on Piaget and Inhelder's The Child's Construction of Quantities are presented, and related to a method of representing the item discrimination which is consonant with Piagetian theory. Loevinger and…

This booklet addresses the role of testing in today's public education system, and presents a series of questions and answers which will be of particular interest to school board members, legislators, lawyers and journalists. These questions are grouped into two major categories: (1) test purposes and users; and (2) current testing issues. Current…

The purpose of this study was to validate the Prescriptive Instructional Program for Educational Readiness (PIPER) for utilization as a criterion referenced test (CRT) among learning disabled children. The program consisted of behavioral objectives and diagnostic and/or mastery tasks and activities for each objective in the area of gross motor…

This report stems from the misunderstanding of what general standardized tests and standardized admission tests can and were designed to do, and an uneasiness with certain discoveries concerning biases in the tests. Important issues such as margin of error, predictive value, social and racial bias, and the effects of coaching are the very issues…

The 1978 New York City Test Report indicates that forty-three percent of those tested in that year in the City's public schools are reading at or above grade level. These results, however, when summarized in this way, are meaningless. The graph prepared for this article traces the reading levels of the school system and its 32 districts for…

There is a positive relationship between a selected measure of test anxiety and several measures of self-perception. Hypotheses of concommitant decreases in self-esteem as test anxiety increased were offered. Subjects consisted of 193 undergraduate students (123 females and 70 males) enrolled in educational psychology and foundations of education…

In an attempt to improve Head Start evaluations, several methodological techniques are proposed. Since programs vary in approach, evaluations must be made on the success of the individual programs. Formulation of research questions should provide information as to the process and outcome of the program. To avoid experimenter bias, experimenters…

The purpose of the study was to explore the effects of various practical instruction procedures on academic performance. Six sections of an introductory sociology course were assigned various experimental conditions involving quizzing and incentives. Examinations were administered at intervals during the course and once after course completion.…

Issues related to a national assessment of speaking and listening skills include the specification of the domain of communication competencies, the selection of measurement strategies, and the elimination of racial and ethnic bias. A project committee proposed that the domain of national assessment spans three dimensions: function (informing,…